Retail investors flock to small-cap AI firms as Big Tech battles for share

Retail investors are piling into small-cap firms that employ artificial intelligence amid intensifying competition between tech titans Google parent Alphabet and Microsoft to secure leadership in the next big driver of growth.

The viral success of ChatGPT has turned the spotlight on AI on Wall Street, reminiscent of the blockchain hype from a few years ago when shares of companies remotely associated with the technology surged.

The $3-billion AI software firm C3.ai was the fifth most actively traded on Fidelity’s platform for small investors on Monday, while drawing record daily retail inflows worth $31.4 million, as per Vanda Research. The stock slipped 4.5 per cent on Tuesday, but is up about 140 per cent so far this year.